Rotatable quick connector

Abstract

A quick connector includes a housing assembly for receiving one end of a conduit with an enlarged annular flange and a retainer for locking the conduit in the housing assembly. The housing assembly includes first and second housings which are rotatably and non-axially displaceably interconnected. A rigid top hat is fixedly mounted in the bore in the first housing to prevent axial displacement of the first and second housings. An annular recess in the top hat receives the flange on the conduit. The housings can also be incrementally indexable ribs on a stem of one housing fixedly and non-rotatingly engage an inner surface of a flexible conduit.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A quick connector for joining first and second conduits in fluid flow communication, the first conduit having an enlarged flange spaced from a first end, the quick connector comprising: 
       a first housing having a through bore with a first bore portion adapted for receiving a first end of a first conduit;  
       a second housing rotatably and non-axially displaceably connected to the first housing, the second housing having a through bore axially alignable with the first bore portion of the first housing for receiving the first conduit therethrough, a second conduit adapted to be mounted on the first housing;  
       a retainer mountable in the second housing for lockingly coupling the first conduit to the first housing; and  
       mounting means cooperatively carried on the first and second housings for rotatably interconnecting the first and second housings, the mounting means including:  
       a raised annular flange formed on the first housing;  
       an annular shoulder at one end of the second housing;  
       the flange rotatably disposed with respect to the shoulder of the second housing, with the first housing axially extending through the one end of the second housing; and  
       a top hat mountable in the first housing and spaced from the flange on the second housing to form an annular recess to rotatably maintain the first and second housings in a coupled rotatable arrangement.  
     
     
       2. The quick connector of  claim 1  further comprising: 
       means for fixing the top hat to the second housing.  
     
     
       3. The quick connector of  claim 2  wherein the fixing means comprises: 
       at least one aperture formed in the second housing proximate the one end of the second housing; and  
       the top hat having at least one leg, a projection carried on the at least one leg latchingly engagable with the aperture in the second housing.  
     
     
       4. The quick connector of  claim 2  wherein the fixing means comprises: 
       the top hat press fit in a fixed position within the first housing.  
     
     
       5. The quick connector of  claim 1  further comprising: 
       the second housing having an opposed end to the one end; and  
       the first housing insertable through the second housing from the opposed end to the one end.  
     
     
       6. The quick connector of  claim 1  further comprising: 
       the first housing insertable into the second housing through the one end.  
     
     
       7. The quick connector of  claim 6  further comprising: 
       a plurality of slots formed in the flange on the one end of the first housing, the slots allowing the one end of the first housing to bend radially inward during insertion through the one end of the second housing until the flange on the one end of the first housing clears the shoulder in the one end of the second housing.  
     
     
       8. A quick connector for joining first and second conduits in fluid flow communication, the first conduit having an enlarged flange spaced from a first end, the quick connector further comprising: 
       a first housing having a though bore with a first bore portion adapted for receiving a first end of a first conduit;  
       a second housing rotatably and non-axially displaceably connected to the first housing, the second housing having a through bore axially alignable with the first bore portion of the first housing for receiving the first conduit therethrough, a second conduit adapted to be mounted on the first housing;  
       a retainer mountable in the second housing for lockingly coupling the first conduit to the first housing; and  
       indexing means cooperatingly arranged between the first and second housings for incremental non-movable locked rotational positioning of the first and second housings with respect to each other.  
     
     
       9. The quick connector of  claim 8  wherein the indexing means comprises: 
       at least one radially extending projection formed on one of the first and second housings; and  
       at least one aperture formed on the other of the first and second housings engagable with a projection.  
     
     
       10. The quick connector of  claim 9  wherein: 
       the at least one aperture is formed as a plurality of apertures.  
     
     
       11. The quick connector of  claim 1  further comprising: 
       the second housing including a second bore formed by a pair of opposed apertures formed transversely to and intersecting the through bore in the second housing, the retainer mountable through the second bore;  
       the retainer having opposed legs extending from a central end portion;  
       projections on the legs engagable with edges of the second housing adjacent the opposed apertures to lockingly mount the retainer in the second housing; and  
       a web extending axially through only one of the opposed apertures, the web dividing the aperture into a pair of smaller apertures, each receiving an end portion of one leg of the retainer, the web limiting inward flexing of the legs of the retainer upon removal of the retainer from the second housing.  
     
     
       12. The quick connector of  claim 1  further comprising: 
       the second housing including a second bore transverse to and intersecting the through bore;  
       a seal member mounted in the first axial bore;  
       a top hat mounted in the axial bore adjacent to the seal member;  
       an annular recess extending inward from one end of the top hat opening to the second bore in the second housing when the top hat is mounted in the second housing, the annular recess adapted to receiving the flange on the first conduit; and  
       the retainer having a side edge disposable in the second bore adjacent to the flange on the first conduit to restrain axial disengagement of the first conduit from the first housing.  
     
     
       13. A quick connector for joining first and second conduits in fluid flow communication, the first conduit having an enlarged flange spaced from a first end, the quick connector comprising: 
       a first housing having a through bore with a first bore portion adapted for receiving a first end of a first conduit;  
       a second housing rotatably and non-axially displaceably connected to the first housing, the second housing having a through bore axially alignable with the first bore portion of the first housing for receiving the first conduit therethrough, a second conduit adapted to be mounted on the first housing;  
       a retainer mountable in the second housing for lockingly coupling the first conduit to the first housing; and  
       a cap mountable over a second end of the first housing, for smoothly guiding the interior surface of the second conduit over the second end of the first housing during coupling of the second conduit to the first housing;  
       a seal mounted on the second end of the first housing between the second end of the cap and a radial enlargement spaced from the second end of the first housing for sealingly engaging an inner surface of the second conduit when the second conduit is mounted over the second end of the first housing; and  
       snap connection means for fixedly mounting the cap on the second end of the first housing such that the cap guides the second conduit over the seal.  
     
     
       14. The quick connector of  claim 13  wherein the snap connection means comprises: 
       a second end of the first housing having one of a radially outward extending projection and a recess;  
       a conical cap having smooth exterior surface and a through bore; and  
       one of a recess and a projection formed in the interior of the cap snap engagable with one of the recess and the projection on the first housing to secure the cap to the first housing.  
     
     
       15. The quick connector of  claim 14  further comprising: 
       the through bore in the cap having a diameter at least as large as the diameter of the bore extending through the second end of the first housing.  
     
     
       16. The quick connector of  claim 15  wherein the through bore in the cap comprises: 
       a first bore portion extending from a first end of the cap; and  
       a second bore portion extending from the second end of the cap, the second bore portion having a larger diameter than the diameter of the first bore portion.  
     
     
       17. The quick connector of  claim 16  further comprising: 
       a shoulder formed at a juncture of the first and second bores in the cap, the shoulder engagable with the second end of the first housing for limiting the mounting distance of the cap over the second end of the first housing.  
     
     
       18. A quick connector comprising: 
       a male component having an external flange proximate to a first end;  
       a female component including a housing having a first axial bore extending between opposed first and second ends to receive the first end of the male component;  
       a transverse bore formed in the housing intersecting the first axial bore;  
       a retainer received within the transverse bore of the housing, the retainer having a pair of side legs separated by an end wall, a first surface on each side leg axially opposing the flange on the male component to prevent axial disengagement of the male component from the first bore in the female component;  
       a seal member disposed in the first axial bore;  
       a top hat disposed in the axial bore adjacent to the seal member; and  
       an annular recess extending inward from one end of the top hat opening to the second bore in the female component when the top hat is mounted in the female component, the annular recess receiving the flange on the male component when the male component is fully inserted into the female component.  
     
     
       19. The quick connector of  claim 18  wherein: 
       the axial length of the annular recess in the top hat is substantially equal to the axial length of the enlarged flange on the first conduit to substantially accommodate all of the enlarged flange on the first conduit in the annular recess in the top hat.  
     
     
       20. The quick connector of  claim 18  further comprising: 
       projections on the side legs of the retainer engagable with edges of the male component adjacent the transverse bore to lockingly mount the retainer in the male component; and  
       a web extending axially through one of the opposed apertures, the web dividing the aperture into a pair of smaller apertures, each receiving an end portion of one leg of the retainer, the web limiting the amount of inward flexing of the legs of the retainer upon separation of the retainer from the housing of the female.  
     
     
       21. The quick connector of  claim 18  further comprising: 
       a plurality of axial, non-annular, radially outward extending ribs formed on the first end of the housing, the ribs engagable with an inner surface of a flexible conduit forced over the first end of the housing to prevent rotation between the flexible conduit and the first end of the housing.  
     
     
       22. A quick connector comprising: 
       a male component having an external flange proximate to a first end;  
       a female component including a housing having a first axial bore extending between opposed first and second ends to receive the first end of the male component;  
       a transverse bore formed in the housing intersecting the first axial bore;  
       a retainer received within the transverse bore of the housing, the retainer having a pair of side legs separated by an end wall, a first surface on each side leg axially opposing the flange on the male component to prevent axial disengagement of the male component from the first bore in the female component;  
       a seal member disposed in the first axial bore;  
       a top hat disposed in the axial bore adjacent to the seal member;  
       an annular recess extending inward from one end of the top hat opening to the second bore in the female component when the top hat is mounted in the female component, the annular recess receiving the flange on the male component when the male component is fully inserted into the female component;  
       one end of the female component having a radially outward extending projection;  
       a conical cap having a smooth exterior surface and a. through bore; and  
       a recess formed in the interior of the cap snap engagable with the projection on the female component to secure the cap to the female component.  
     
     
       23. The quick connector of  claim 22  further comprising: 
       one end of the first housing having a radially outward extending flange;  
       a conical cap having a smooth exterior surface and a through bore;  
       an annular recess formed on one of the interior of the conical cap and the one end of the female component; and  
       one of a radially outward extending projection and a radially inward extending recess is formed on the one end of the female component.  
     
     
       24. A quick connector comprising: 
       a male component having an external flange proximate to a first end;  
       a female component including a housing having a first axial bore extending between opposed first and second ends to receive the first end of the male component;  
       a retainer mountable in the first axial bore of the housing to prevent axial displacement of the male component from first axial bore in the housing;  
       one end of the housing having a radially outward extending projection;  
       a conical cap having a smooth exterior surface and a through bore, the cap guiding a conduit over the second end of the female component; and  
       a recess formed in the interior of the cap snap engagable with the projection on the housing to secure the cap to the female component.